The Annie Oakley Festival began in the summer
of 1963 as the brainchild of local individuals who sought to further
the memory and image of their native daughter, “Annie Oakley –
Little Miss Sure Shot.”
The festival committee is a group of volunteer citizens and business
owners who dedicate themselves, along with countless hours of work,
to make this annual festival DarkeCounty’s
second oldest festival.

For 33 years, the festival was held behind Garst
Museum.As the museum planned to expand and the festival continued to
grow, it was decided that the festival was better suited to move to
the Darke County Fairgrounds.In 1997, the festival moved to allow more room for
entertainment, activities and parking.However, due to the cost of rent for the fairgrounds, the
festival was forced to charge admission to cover the rental.

The core mission of The Annie Oakley Festival is honoring Darke
Counties most famous Daughter.